day eight

today was practically nothing but sleeping away the terrible inevitable pain of womanhood.
sometimes i just wished i'm xy chromosome. hrumph.

did grocery shopping in the afternoon with my family.

had mom's homecooked dinner today (:

ok. so here you go. all the updates over the last few days.

adios! zzzz.

day seven

checked out from motel, and we zoomed to the indianapol*s Museum of Art.
not a really arty-farty person, but i did like some of the contemp art works.
top L: my fav art piece
top R: this is a drawing of the pelvis!!

l.o.v.e. makes the world go round.
and i briefly played on a very out-of-place piano at the museum carpark when we exited.
sighs totally miss playing.

after museum, we passed by the motor speedway where they conduct all those exciting f1 races.
by then we were famished and had lunch at arby's!
the rest of the day was.. spent frivolous-ing at ed*nburgh.

hehehehe.


i am still at US by the way.
it's just the name of the shopping outlet we went.

we decided to head back to kansas (8hours away!!!!!) that very night.
so my bro the dark knight drove through the dark night and we reached back at 6:30am all in one piece. :)

zzz.

thank God for the safe journey despite the rain and our sleepyheads.

day six

aunt doll got up early to make us special breakfast!
bagels with strawberry cream cheese, mixed fruits, omelette/bacon/meat filling, accompanied by hot breakfast drinks!
after an encore breakfast, uncle brought us around his h-u-g-e garden. we were amazed to see grapes, tomatoes, peaches, apples growing from the trees in his garden. not to mention, the beautiful array of sunflowers and other prettythings!
top L: bro and mom amazed at the grapes up there
top R: spot the camouflaged grapes!!
bottom: juicy looking peaches
after touring the garden, uncle took my dad and bro out for their guys' outing; while aunt doll drove mom and me out for some shopping at t*rget. it's another place where you feel like buying everything (something like w-mart).
we then got back home where aunty prepared a hearty mayo chicken salad mixed with grapes, cantaloupe slices (a.k.a. rockmelon), homegrown tomatoes (delicious!!), strawberries,
thick tasty slices of cinnamon bread and biscuits.

de-lightful! :)

tadah! the delightful lunch prepared by a pair of lovely hands :)

it was time to leave. we exchanged words of appreciation and hugs with the hosts.

thank you uncle rich and g-doll for the wonderful stay!
we left and drove to indianapolis mall. walked around a bit, before meeting kor's friend for dinner an asian restaurant called stir-crazy.

then it was time to call it a day as we checked into a motel for another night's stay.

read something from kay art's bk that night and was assured of the rest-in-Him despite the doubts i had. doubts about praying certain things that seem impossible to change.

pray diligently, live it out. then know that you did all you could.

the rest is up to God-- and there, you must rest.

day five

after having a night's rest at the hotel, we went for complimentary intercontinental breakfast and left chicago.
we then headed for a 7 hour drive to indiana state to visit dad's friends. took some pictures along the way at the famous waters and also at art inst*tute of chicago.
after aplenty of right and wrong turns (due to a dearth of road signs at kokomo+the fact we had no gps!), we finally finally found our way to uncle rich+aunt doll's place at 6:30pm.

indiana's timing is 12 hours slower than sg, instead of 13. (which means i could look at my sg time watch and convert am to pm, pm to am)

the hosts warmly welcomed us and brought us out for thai cuisine (at last i tried tom kat gai again!:)

we went back to their very spacious and cosy house! met gizmo the big cat and freckles the dog!(:


uncle rich+aunt doll sat us down for supper-- a zesty slice of lemon meringue pie.

uncle rich also fished out his 12-string guitar (coolios!!) and serenaded us with a few of his funny compositions.
this is something aunty doll knitted with her own hands! it's about the christmas story if you look closely:) so pre-tty eh!

then it was time to rest for the day.

day four

this morning we left the house at 0500hrs and had a 10-hr drive to chicago. caught the sunrise in the car.
my apologies for my noobie photography skills.

stopped by the gateway arch for a photo.

we stopped for lunch at mcd. they have burgers i've never tried before.

after reaching our hotel at chicago, we headed down town. they have horses and thickcoat snow dogs along the streets.


we finally settled for dinner at chinatown's joy yee noodle shop. the portions are really huge. we sheepishly giggled when we heard familiar s'pore english (with the classic lah-s) from the group of students sitting behind us. ahh i miss s*ngapore.

and i'm not gonna complain abt $3/hr parkings in sg anymore. parking here is crazy. it was 16dollars! and it can go up to $30 at more expensive lots. gosh.

day three

day three's highlight was mongolian buffet dinner. seriously very nice. it's like a combi of steamboat and teppanyaki style. here's how it goes:


(1) first you grab a bowl and pick up all the meat (beef/chicken/pork/fish/seafood/crabmeat/sausages) you like, then the mushroom, egg and veg and blahblahblah.
(2) next, pick up a small sauce bowl, select the sauce (there are 20 kinds!!) you like, add 3 ladles of it into the bowl.
(3) then, add a spoonful of your prefered spice (there are 10 to choose from) into the sauce bowl.
(4) tadah, you are halfway through your personalised mongolian meal.


(5) proceed to the counter for the young dudes to teppanyaki all that you've accumulated in your foodbowl and saucebowl.
(6) pose like my mom did, with a happy anticipating look.
(7) wait three minutes.
(8) tadah! finally you get your own steaming bowl of meat+veg platter with the sauces/spices you personalise it with. eat with rice/noodles/pasta or even tortilla wraps.


yar. even the toilets are named accordingly.

the plusplus things about this eatery: the service is super good, there's free flow soupoftheday and salad, you can go for umpteenth rounds of selecting food+sauces, there's no charge for wastage, and it's under 15 per head. good good good?

once upon a time at the vista carpark, me and sar*h fell in absurd love with mongolia. i can't remember how it all started, must ask gary.
we had crazy ideas about visiting mongolia, marrying mongolian guys, trying out this mongolian steamboat. but oh wells we never got down to doing any of those:p not yet.
today's mongolian dinner is a good starter.

sarah, it was ten thumbs up! (:

day two at kansas city

we went downtown to window shop and sightsee. this little girl shyly came up to me to ask for donation for her school jog-a-thon.
apparently this place is known for its nice fountain.
dinner was at a nice vietnam restaurant. we loved the beef pho and the ricepaper spring roll (: yummy.
sunset outside the house was spectacular (i thought of tee). then at night, bro drove me to java break cafe to chill out with mar*e. it was my first time meeting her but somehow we connected cuz she was stressed by the things i was stressed about before. and she reminds me of LC. by the way the cafe sells.. cornflakes! buddy would loveee this.

day one at kansas city

the moment we stepped foot at kc, bro brought us to The place for real good cheesecakes. (: thought of linglenglong.
went groceryshopping at w-mart. and oh my they sell everything! shoes, so many kinds of goodies, bedsheets, medications, you name it. and it's open 24/7. really unbeatable. i felt like buying the whole shop down haha.

this is the place we stay. and that's my coolio bed. can slide down when i wake up(:

circadian arrhythmia

my circadian rhythm is a wee bit messy.
i'm thirteen hours behind my normal clocktime back at home.
ie it's 2am over here, but 3pm back home.
i still sleep well when i go to bed, but i wake up feeling real tired.
hopefully i'll adapt soon. maybe it'll get better when scotland time is 5 hours faster i think.


Sis, just remember when you get there that the only friend and kin you can bring together with you with no geographical and chronological challenge whatsoever is the one that resides in your heart - God.

thanks gc for reminding.

270808 at the airport

some photos of the day of farewell at the airport.


thanks to all of you :) i really appreciate.

some peektures during the last few days of sunnyisland

worship team dinner at jr/my's place.
jr+my are really good chefs (:
the lovely ballet kids at sot@ and my 3 colleagues threw me a surprise farewell on my last day there. am so gonna miss playing the piano for them (i already do).
(top L) these are the hearts from the little ones at sunday school. though they may not understand/know the significance of giving me these hearts, it means a lot to me. to know that they thought of me and perhaps, i did have a small part in their lives. thanks l*ying for this.

(top R) tadah. this is mr osprey! (: p/s: thanks tee+yuen+wa*ye, jay+dee+just. i love the present a lot.

(bot L) packing packing packing. i actually quite enjoy making checklists and trying to pack snugly into mr osprey and echolac.

(bot R) during the 2 intense days of packing on mon+tues, i made it a point not to meet anyone/or do anything unrelated to packing. serene was my take-a-break-from-packing dessert. she was the first person i met on tues night that week(:
(top L+R) dinner and desserts with dad/mom/friends.

(bot L) my babysitter's daughter and i

(bot R) outside dkk/kcc's house. meow. so gonna miss the fun times at 07-25 with cheche and korkor.

YF farewell 23aug08

(top L) cs my tonggong and emily
(top R) jieying dear
(bot L) gaping mouths with my playmate wenjun (bot R) my 9-day-old child :)
(top L) pmk and ibm babes
(top R) my 105/52 bus kaki
(bot L) the two boys who are about my height (yx was tiptoeing)
(bot R) the 2 sisters in sunshine colours
the performances; friends; my buddy!
(top L) mollie!
(top R) strawberryboy+vince
(bot L/R) what big eyes i have, thanks to newpaper




YF prepared a farewell for the three of us who are heading off to UK:
yaf*n/me/sh*hao

my Thank Yous

yep i'm safe and sound at kansas city(:

looking back, the past two weeks had been a good finale to my hols in sunnyisland.

getting to meet good friends, enjoying the last morsels of local cuisine with family+gd friends, the 2mm goodnews, sharing good news with molly, farewell with the kids@ sota, farewell with yf.

i think i'm undeservedly blessed with great friends.
both in uni, and in sg.

i'm overwhelmed by the love and care.
thank you YF for the farewell, and the awesome personal calendar.
i love it so much (special thanks to kw/ly/yx for masterminding it!)

thank you bros and sisters for the personal cards and gifts, for taking time to send me off at the airport.

thanks deb for coming, even though you had exam/reports coming up. thank you for being there for me during my bluaag days.

thanks kw for accompanying me through the mysteries of the backpack :p

thanks tee for organising the backpack surprise and risking yr life at the shop with the ckp man.

thanks dkk, kcc, dajie, buddy, ly, zy, nk for bringing me out for good meal treats. :)

thanks Ly and the sunday school kids for the hearts. i almost melted when they came out of the room like little ants and passed me each of their "thank you" hearts.

thanks lsm (my LPY) for singing that song that activated my lacrimal glands.

the list goes on (sorry if i missed out anything). i am just super grateful and touched. as much as i wished i could stay on longer, but i know i'm content with what i have. as much as i fear and i know change is inevitable, i somehow take comfort that somethings just don't change, and some friendships will stay for good. love, has a base.

it's family reunion time for me. haven't seen big bro in six years. :p
life and culture here is a lot different, and in certain ways, i miss s*ngapore a lot.

heading to chicago tomorrow. will post pictures soon!

take care friends.

brunch with dad+mom at ike@
happy bday liying dear!
supper with cheche.
greentea icecream and soffiato.
heavenly combo!

sunday evening

accompanied tee for sunset service at a bible pres church this evening.
in a way, i was glad i went and that i could be part of the congre.
sang hymns. (:
the message was on prayer and why we pray in Jesus' name.

it is for the glory of our heavenly Father that we ask.
not for personal gains or desires.
i'm guilty of that.
not only that, i'm guilty of asking and believing half-heartedly at times.

but anyhows, i think prayer is a beautiful thing. a privilege too.
because sometimes it changes my attitude towards certain things, situations and people.
and when words can't suffice what goes on inside, He understands exactly.

God answers with Yes, No, or Wait.
thank Him for answered prayers.
thank Him also for the prayers not answered (no) or yet to be answered (wait).
because ultimately, He loves us and knows what we really need.

on a lighter note, i played Wii (this savvy videogame) with dkk and kcc tonight at their place. so crazily fun ar!
my arms are aching from the virtual tennis and the series of very hilarious games that required relentless pounding actions, hand-eye coordination and brainwork. they were both so good at it! it was a good night of hyperfun+de-stress and unleashing the child in us. thank you cheche and korkor.

brand new week starting.
bleh. seventeen days.
time to pack up my heart and my luggage.

pedaling thru the night

met my batchmate lishun today(:
it was a really nice afternoon of just talking and catching up.

oh-how-time-flies.
my s'ban friends have already finished sem 6 and they are my seniors now! kind of, in a way. i'm glad for them for surviving yet another semester(: personally, for a holiday as long as this, i give thanks.
it's strange how i tend to think about the past and think about how good it would be to relive those moments. at this juncture, i utterly miss those kodak moments of imucup a.l.i.v.e. a year ago. the moments of practising pump-fakes and box-outs with the girls and pat, running at the lake of surprises (surprises because of spontaneous rainbows and monitor lizards and goose attacks and lifestories shared with friends while running those rounds) and finishing the slope, the day of badminton swimming squash and eel's bday, finale night, the wonderful committee. so on and so forth.
and probably next year at a particular juncture, i would be looking back and missing precisely the present moments i have with people, the activities i remember, stories shared, milestones and friendships that have left an indelible mark in my heart.

last night, i went night cycling with 27others. ring ring pedal pedal revolutions through the night till 6 in the morning! got to talk to tonggong and a few others while cycling, and got to know yaya better too(: i had fun despite the aching gluts. strangely i'm still quite hyper though i haven't slept since the night adventures. :p

it's nat'nal day. merdeka! and even though i'm a pseudo-citizen, yes i do feel something for my country and i'm proud of our MRts and water!(:
happy birthday s*ngapore!

time to call it a day. nights!

chicken and duck talk

while babysitting the sec twos writing their chinese essay, i had to entertain a jap exchange student in their class today.
out of the blue.
she speaks as much eng/chi as i could do for jap.

it was a funny time. chicken and duck communicating. :p
with my very limited jap vocab, i sprouted lines of goodmorning goodafternoon goodnight, one to ten [thanks to molly for teaching me just last week, came in handy eh] in foreign language, and i received a nod with a big grin from her with every jap word i attempted.

when that was done, my word bank has reached its critical limits. in the attempt to keep her entertained while the rest of my sec2 class did their chinese essay, i turned to desperate measures.

me: "ermm...ichibanboshi! kuishin-bo! hanabi? azubosabo? "

her eyes grew big, and she tried to explain what those jap words meant in english.
(later on i found out kuishin means glutton; hanabi means fireworks. the rest, i couldn't quite understand what she was trying to tell me. for your info, these random words are actually jap food places in s*ngapore. haha.)

so i pressed on and continued. trying to form sentences like i love green tea (watashi suki matcha), almost confusing my malay with jap when i accidentally blurted a sentence that went, "saya suka..".
gosh!

and my final attempt of the day when i was seriously out of words:

drawing my own family portrait.
pointing to dad, "chi-chi"
pointing to mom, "har-har"
pointing to myself "watashi!"
and pointing to my 2 brothers, hoping she'd understand my wordless cues. (i have no idea what brother is called in jap)


she took the pen, and started drawing her stickman family:

and i understood! (:


ahh, the magic of drawing.

like music, Art is a universal language!

learning to scribe real jap words, from the real jap girl.


aiyo, what a day:p

oohlala

fridaybrunch with the buddy!
lovelyy apple crumble brought to you by the CrumbleSpecialist kaiwei!

eunice's 21st bday @ shokudo!

rest and roll

this week:
slowing down and spending chunks of time on frivolous things.
like painting molly's newjournal, watching live chamber choir performance, reading, swimming, and staying home-- something i need to do more often.

the-ra-peu-ti-c.
it's nice to afford such slowingdown moments before another tide of scurriedness comes.

dad mom and i decided to give kammerchor stuttgart a try yesterday.
we were enthralled when we set foot on espl concert halls for our first time.
never had i imagined it to be so intricately and meticulously designed for mechanics of sound production. spells what g-r-a-n-d-e-u-r really is.
it totally felt like i had just walked into a theatre in europe, nevermind the fact i've not been to one in my life:p
conductor frieder bernius and his germany choir won our hearts with some of their really excellent pieces(:
we enjoyed most of it, though my mom.. did fall asleep. hahaha.
we also thought it was quite funny that the conductor had to walk up and down the stage umpteenth times throughout the performance (perhaps due to formality sake).

equally stunning was also watching Dark Kn*ght with the best friend.
the plot and heath ledg*r's acting especially(:
i almost froze in terror with the joker's terribly ingenius plans to create chaos.

started using kay arthur recently.
thanks to dajie's recommendation.
back to basics of what grace really is, what it is not.

things are slowly getting back on track, with refreshing bytes of rest.
(:

always here with me

yile kaiwei sarah
really appreciate your help and talents.
thankful for you girls!(:

i love this song.


when troubles come i trust in You
for i know You will lead me through
And You are faithful till the end
And when the storms are drawing near
When I'm with You i don't have to fear
You're the shelter on whom i can depend



and i dedicate it to you, who have coming weeks of very real issues to face.